How do you roleplay fact that your character can steal clothes from a sober person while walking?

There comes a time where you have to ignore the inner grognard crying for immersion and just accept the fact that it's a game.

Magic~

You can lug around an entire armory in your pocket/backpack for Y'ffre's sake. (Which I explain through a hyperspace enchantment on your backpack/pockets)

Honestly, though, if I were to roleplay, that'd be something that I wouldn't do unless I'm playing a character with some magical training due to how unrealistic it is. Weapons? Sure, provided it isn't a huge 2-hander.

Simply not doing it easily precludes the problem!

Seriously though, there are many things in TES games that my character 'can' do that don't always make sense. Choosing not to do those things works pretty well for me from a roleplaying perspective.

We don't need to justify everything within the in-game possibilities.

I've never heard of anyone, in any world, real or fiction, being able to strip someone of the clothes they are currently wearing without them knowing. It's something I would just ignore.

Roleplaying is supposed to be about assuming the "role" (which is also defined by the game player themselves) of a character you've created. Now doing things in a more realistic fashion isn't RPing in itself but those things do tend to help. Focusing too much on realism in a fantasy RPG with magic and cat people, is just going to ruin your experience.

It's a completely silly perk that Bethesda created. Not sure how that was the best they could come up with for the level 100 Pickpocket perk.

Thing is that "magic and cat people" is something that is realistic and plausible in the setting.

Not that I disagree with the sentiment, just that using the whole "it's fantasy" thing as an excuse to ignore these sorts of things is kinda dumb.

It is kind of odd that they don't notice you slip their leggings off and stuff it in your backpack... So for the sake of realism it's probably best to just avoid the perk.

Khajiit, all types of magicka, and much much more in TES has been realized through the creation of it's world and it's lore.

I wasn't really using "it's fantasy" as an excuse to ignore these types of things. I would prefer if players could look past tiny quirks like this as "immersion breaking". I was using "it's fantasy" as a perspective to not read too much into a fictional setting.

Pretty much this.

I did have a character who did that, but he was a magical trickster, so it fit his character.

You don't just pick pockets, you take pockets.

Actually, here's the justification: with 100 Pickpocketing, you can get any item through thievery that you can get through combat -- that's why it doesn't work on essential NPCs.

I dunno. I get the feeling that some things in this series deserve to be looked into quite a bit and a few actually ask for it or are explored in-game. But that's just me.

But yeah, a silly mechanic like this one probably doesn't have any "official" justification for it and probably shouldn't be looked into too much beyond being a game mechanic(like the "walking armory" thing I mentioned). More power to you if you can find a reasonable explanation, though.

It's still completely silly.

I'd have to agree. My approach when encountering things in game that just don't fit with my game world expectations is to simply avoid them or, if necessary, to avoid them.

My thoughts exactly. Despite being in a fantasy world, things should be consistent enough for the suspension of disbelief. I eshew this, as well as most other "Master" level perks, because they just don't make any sense.

You want to know what I see here? I see people complaining because there's a completely optional roleplaying opportunity in the game that they don't want to use.

Just being in the game is bad enough glargg! What don't you understand! It's just like smithing!

I still use it since it's silly fun imagining the poor NPC wondering where his clothing went!